Lamont Cranston had won with ease. He had deliberately entered Big Tom Bagshawe’s lair. Soon, he would be about to leave this place. But from now on, trouble awaited him.
Big Tom was a man prepared for emergencies. One had arisen, and it would be met. Perhaps the man who broke the bank would leave; but if he did, he would carry neither coins nor their equivalent.
So Big Tom Bagshawe had planned.
But he had not reckoned with The Shadow!
CHAPTER VII
THE MAN WHO VANISHED
BIG TOM BAGSHAWE appeared in an affable mood when he faced Lamont Cranston across the desk in the center of the private office. His pretense was admirable. Thoughts of the losses that he had sustained seemed totally absent.
“Yes,” said the gambler agreeably, “you did well tonight, sir. That is what I like to see — customers who show winnings. It will be a pleasant duty for me, Mr. Cranston, to turn some of that bulky coin into ready currency. We are glad to see money go out — in fact, we are well prepared for it. Nevertheless, we like to keep the gold on hand, as it serves us for chips.”
Big Tom was stalling. With no apparent purpose, he was seeking to delay Cranston’s departure. The gambler looked at the other’s face, and noted a stern, hard expression upon Cranston’s hawklike visage. Big Tom twisted uneasily. He had dealt with difficult customers before; this one promised to be one of the most difficult.
“What was the extent of your winnings?” questioned Big Tom.